Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Michael and Jackie encounter a slight problem with their eldest child.


**A/N: I was thinking that I haven't done a story with the kids in it for a while ****and I was watching _The Cosby Show_ episode "Disharmony" and this came to mind. It's pretty close to the actual episode, so if you've ever seen it then it will seem pretty familiar. Hope you like :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**_Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star_**

_**Friday Evening**_

Jackie was exhausted, thank God it was Friday, she thought to herself.

She staggered down the stairs and into the lounge room; she smiled when she spied the empty couch.

Perfect.

Unceremoniously kicking of her shoes as she went, Jackie sank onto the couch with a sigh and closed her eyes. She didn't even open them when she heard the front door open; she listened to Michael's familiar footfalls as he came into the room.

He sank with a sigh onto the couch next to her and rested his head on her shoulder, "Long day?" she asked, she felt him nod. Opening her eyes a fraction she lifted him off her shoulder and repositioned him in an upright position. He gave her a bleary eyed confused look, until she lifted his arm and snuggled up next to him. She felt him kiss the top of her head before he let his head rest on the back of the couch.

Jackie relaxed for a few moments before she grudgingly opened her eyes, "Michael?" she questioned, his only response was to moan slightly. She sat up, "Michael?" she tried again, in a firmer tone, this time he opened one of his eyes. "Has Jimmy said anything to you about a note from his teacher?" she asked.

Concerned Michael opened both of his eyes, he shook his head, "No, why?" he asked.

"Because his teacher called here this afternoon, I wanted to speak with you before I confronted Jimmy." Michael nodded, letting his eyes drift shut again; "Michael, this is serious," Jackie admonished him.

Michael opened his eyes again, "I know it is, Jackie, but Jimmy only just started school, he's still a little boy. He probably just forgot," he added, closing his eyes again.

"The note was sent home two weeks ago, Miss. Elliot was concerned that she hadn't heard anything from us," Jackie informed him.

Michael let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes, "Can we worry about this tomorrow?" he asked. Jackie sighed as well, but then she saw that Michael looked every bit as worn out as she was and she took pity on him. "All right," she conceded, getting to her feet, "come on," she coaxed, tugging on Michael's arm, "bedtime," she said, hauling him to his feet.

"Sounds good," Michael mumbled as he followed her upstairs.

_**Saturday Morning**_

Michael slowly opened his eyes; he smiled when he saw Jackie still sleeping peacefully across from him. He was about to drift back to sleep himself when he heard the noise again, Jackie stirred slightly. "Shh," he murmured, "go back to sleep," he told her, kissing her forehead before he rolled out of bed.

He padded across the landing to the nursery and peeped in; two large blues eyes looked back at him. "Hey there, sweetie," he said softly as he came and lifted his daughter, the newest addition to their family, out of the cot. After changing her he brought her down to the kitchen, where he found Jimmy sitting at the kitchen table, surrounded by small milk puddles and eating some cereal.

"Look Daddy, I made my breakfast all by myself," the five year old informed him proudly.

"That's great Jimmy, well done," he said, settling the baby into her highchair as he did so, "is Nerys up yet?" he asked. Jimmy shook his head before returning to his cereal. Michael glanced at him as he pulled out the baby food, "Jimmy, do you know anything about a note from Miss Elliot?" he asked gently.

Jimmy stopped eating and looked up his father, "Yes," he said in a small voice.

"Where is it?" Michael asked and he noticed that Jimmy looked a trifle uncomfortable.

"I put it in the big blue book," he said in a small voice, Michael raised an eyebrow, "I was reading it," Jimmy added.

"You were reading the big blue book?" Michael asked dubiously, Jimmy nodded; Michael gave him a look as he went over to the bookcase. He pulled out the requisite volume, "You were reading _The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_?" he asked, opening the book and retrieving the note.

Before Jimmy could reply, Jackie came down the stairs. "Good morning," she greeted them; her eyes fell on Jimmy, "Jimmy! Did you make your breakfast all by yourself?" she asked. Jimmy nodded; Jackie smiled and came over to ruffle his sandy blonde hair before kissing him on the head, "That's my boy."

Michael frowned a little and held up the note, "Look what I found," Michael said, Jackie looked over at Michael and sighed before turning back to Jimmy.

"Jimmy, did you try to hide the note from your teacher?" she asked. Jimmy nodded slowly, Jackie sighed and, pulling out a chair, sat down next to him, "Why?" she asked.

Jimmy fiddled with his spoon, "She hates me," he said finally; Jackie looked at him in surprise.

"Who hates you?" she asked.

"Miss. Elliot," Jimmy replied. Jackie pursed her lips as Michael handed her the note, on his way to finish tending to the baby.

"Now why do you think Miss. Elliot hates you?" she asked calmly as she opened the note.

"She just does," Jimmy said a trifle sulkily, "she made me move to the back row in class _and_ I made the best drawing in the class and she put it at the _bottom_ of the notice board."

"Jimmy that doesn't mean she hates you," Jackie said, patiently.

"We spoke to Miss. Elliot at the parent-teacher interview and she only had nice things to say about you," Michael added from where he was feeding the baby.

"She has to say stuff like that, she's not allowed to say 'I hate your kid,'" Jimmy informed them. Michael covered his grin by returning to feeding the baby and Jackie covered hers by reading the note.

She frowned a little, "It says here you're not participating in music," she informed Jimmy.

Jimmy shifted a little in his seat, "I told you, she hates me," he said again, "she took the cymbals off me and gave them to Luke so I have to play the violin."

"What's wrong with the violin?" Jackie asked.

"I want to play the cymbals," Jimmy said stubbornly.

Jackie glanced at Michael who rolled his eyes, "Well, Miss. Elliot wants to talk with us," she said, glancing over at Michael.

"I should be able to take some time off Monday afternoon," Michael said.

Jackie nodded, "I will arrange for a babysitter," she looked back at Jimmy, "and you, young man, will go to your room for a while."

"Why?" Jimmy asked.

"Because I think you need to think about what you have done, you should know better than try to keep secrets from us," she told him. Glumly Jimmy got to his feet and made his way upstairs.

"He's your son," Jackie said to Michael as she started to make her own breakfast.

_**Monday, After School**_

Michael had barely closed the front door when a small child with a mop of dark curls came out of nowhere and latched itself onto his legs. Michael looked down into the dark eyes of his three year old daughter, Nerys.

"Why are you home so early, Daddy?" she asked.

Michael bent down to pick her up, "Mummy and I have to go and see Jimmy's teacher," he looked around, "where is Mummy?" he asked.

"She's putting the baby to sleep," Nerys replied, "is Jimmy in trouble?" she asked.

Michael looked at her, "Whether Jimmy is in trouble or not is not really your concern, baby," Michael told her. She gave him a pretty good impression of Jackie's frustrated expression and Michael was reminded again of how much she looked like her mother. "Why?" she demanded.

Michael was saved by having to answer by the doorbell, with a small sigh of relief he put Nerys down and went to answer the door. "Jackie, the babysitter's here," Michael called up the stairs as he let her in.

Jackie soon came down the stairs, with Jimmy hot on her heels. "Do you have to go?" he asked as Jackie got her coat.

"You know we do, Jimmy," Michael told him, as he picked up Nerys, "be good," he told her before kissing her on the nose and making her giggle.

Jimmy tried another tack, "Mummy, I don't feel well," he said, coming up and putting his arms around Jackie.

Michael snorted as he put Nerys down, he came over and felt Jimmy's forehead, "You don't have a fever," he said.

"But my tummy hurts," Jimmy said, burying his face deeper into Jackie's coat.

"We'll be back soon," Jackie told him, gently disengaging herself from his embrace.

Jimmy sighed and looked up at both of his parents, "I love you," he said, in a final ditch effort.

Jackie smiled and kissed his forehead, "We love you too," she said.

Michael chucked him under the chin, "But we're still going," he said, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

_**At the School**_

Michael and Jackie entered the empty classroom and looked around, "Miss. Elliot must have been called away," Jackie said as she took a seat at one of the desks. Michael nodded absently as he continued to look around the room; he noticed the drawings on the noticeboard and went to have a look. "This really is the best picture here," Michael said, taking Jimmy's picture down so he could have a closer look at it.

"Not that you're biased or anything," Jackie said, amused. Michael stuck his tongue out at her as Miss. Elliot entered the room, Michael replaced Jimmy's picture and shook her proffered hand.

"It's nice to see you again," Miss Elliot said as she took a seat at the desk in front of Jackie's, "I just wish it was under better circumstances," she added.

"Us too," Michael said drily as he took a seat at the desk next to Jackie's.

"First of all I would like to say that Jimmy is still a delight to teach, he's attentive and bright," Michael and Jackie shared a smile, "except for when it's time for music," Miss. Elliot added. "He rushes into the room and grabs the cymbals before Luke has a chance to even reach them," Miss. Elliot shook her head. "I have explained to Jimmy that the instruments were chosen on a day that he was absent, so he was left with the violin. He will have a turn at something else, just like everyone else, in a couple of weeks," she added.

Michael and Jackie glanced at each other, "You mean he's not stuck playing the violin for the rest of the year?" Jackie clarified, "He may be able to have them in a couple of weeks?"

Miss. Elliot nodded, "Would it be all right with you if Jimmy took the violin home to practice with?" Michael asked, noticing the violin on a shelf nearby.

"Of course," Miss. Elliot replied, "I have been trying to get Jimmy to take the violin home to practice with but he keeps coming up with some excuse."

"Excuse?" Michael asked.

"Yes, sometimes he can't take it because it might wake the baby, or he's too tired to carry it home," Miss. Elliot elaborated.

Michael and Jackie exchanged a glance, "Perhaps we should carry it home for him," Jackie suggested.

Miss. Elliot smiled, "That sounds like a great idea," she said, getting to her feet and retrieving the violin.

"There was one more thing," Jackie said, trying to keep a straight face, Miss. Elliot looked concerned. "Apparently you hate Jimmy," Jackie finished; Miss. Elliot looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or be shocked.

"I hate Jimmy?" she asked incredulously.

"Apparently you made him move to the back of the class," Jackie said.

"Did Jimmy mention that I asked him to move so that a sight impaired student would be able to see the board better?" Miss. Elliot asked.

Jackie shook her head, making a mental note to speak to Jimmy about this matter later. "Also, for the record," Miss. Elliot continued, "I did like Jimmy's picture, but I put them up alphabetically," she informed them.

Michael and Jackie shared a glance again, before they both rose and thanked Miss. Elliot for her time.

_**Later that evening**_

Michael came into Jimmy's room, carrying the violin.

"Hi Daddy," Jimmy greeted him, looking dubiously at the violin Michael carried under his arm. "Are you going to make me practice?" he asked after a moment.

Michael shook his head, "No, I thought I'd have a go, if that's all right with you." Jimmy nodded, watching his father with wide eyes as Michael sat down and got the violin out.

"Now this," Michael began in his best fatherly tone, "is a fiddle," he said, propping the violin against his chest, "and do you know what to do with a fiddle?" Michael asked.

Jimmy shook his head, "No, but Daddy it's-"

Michael interrupted him, "You get down at the ho-down!" Jimmy regarded him uncertainly before laughing as Michael started to 'play' the violin and sing loudly and slightly off key, stamping his foot to keep time.

"Daddy!" he giggled, "That's not how you play the violin!"

Michael stopped playing and regarded him, eyebrow raised, "Well, how do you play the violin?" he asked.

"Like this," Jimmy said importantly, taking the violin off Michael and placing it under his chin. Whilst Jimmy worked out the correct finger placement, Nerys appeared at the doorway to his room. She was dressed for bed with her teddy bear trailing behind her and she looked a little sleepy. "What are you doing?" she asked with a yawn.

"Jimmy's going to play the violin," Michael told her.

"Can I watch?" she asked. At Michael's nod she made her way across the room and climbed onto his lap.

"What are you going to play for us, Jimmy?" Michael asked as he wrapped both arms around Nerys.

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," Jimmy told him, "you can sing along if you like, Daddy," Jimmy added after a short pause.

"All right," Michael said, "Nerys and I will sing, won't we Nerys?" Nerys looked up at him and gave a small giggle as she nodded. "All right, maestro, take it away," Michael said encouragingly and Jimmy began to play, accompanied by Michael and Nerys who sang along.

That is to say, _Michael_ sang along as Nerys' performance was hampered slightly by her giggles.

_**Later That Week**_

Jackie was sitting on the couch reading a story to Nerys and the baby when Michael came down the stairs. "My dear ladies," Michael addressed them with a slight bow, making Nerys giggle and Jackie very nearly do the same, "I present to you James Jardine, violinist extraordinaire performing that well known tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."

Bowing again, with an exaggerated flourish, Michael ushered Jimmy into the room who looked very pleased with himself. Jackie stifled a laugh at the sight of him wearing one of Michael's ties and dress jacket.

With a small bow to his audience Jimmy played, ever so slightly off key, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Three and a half times.

----

**A/N: Yep, I gave them another kid. No, I couldn't think of a name. But I might do another family story soon and if I do I shall give her a name :)**


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